Our father, John Brown, 83, passed away October 7, 2016 from posterior cortical atrophy. John was born in Charlottetown, PEI on March 8, 1933, the son of Rev. Chester N. Brown and Isabel Brown (née Shaw). John was fortunate to come from a happy family. He loved his mother, Isabel and his father, Chester and spoke highly of them all his life. He remembered his childhood in Liverpool, Campbellton and Sydney as happy times, spent with his brother Doug and sister Elizabeth, playing outside and getting into mischief. He was able count his siblings Doug and Elizabeth as friends throughout his adult life and treasured the relationship they had. After graduating from Sydney Academy in 1951 he pursued extensive post-secondary education: Dalhousie 1952 B.Sc. (Malcolm Honour award) and Nova Scotia Technical College 1957 B. Eng. (civil). He was an Athlone Fellow, studying at Imperial College, London M.Sc. 1960. He was awarded his PhD from Dalhousie in 1967. For his post doctoral fellowship John and his young family moved to Oslo, Norway to the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, returning to Halifax in 1969. He returned to teach at the Technical University of Nova Scotia and went on to be a senior consultant at Jacques Whitford Consulting Engineers until his retirement. John was very highly respected both for his profound knowledge base and also his measured approach to problems He has been described as the statesman of the group at Jacques Whitford. You could not rush an answer out of John but when it came you could be assured that it was well considered and precise. He was awarded the F.H. Sexton Gold Medal Award by Engineers Nova Scotia in 2007 for lifetime contribution to engineering. John was devoted to his wife Margie. He loved us, his children Heather, Katherine, Susannë and Douglas deeply. He was proud of our accomplishments and felt our sorrows acutely. John’s fourth child Douglas was born with an intellectual disability and through their involvement with the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) John and Margie came to provide a long term foster home for Derek Smith. Derek lived with our family from 1976 until, as adults, he and Douglas moved to the L’Arche Community in Wolfville. In 1992 John moved from Halifax to Wolfville and spent his spare time and then his retirement caring for his heritage home and extensive garden. His volunteer time was shared between Community Living Alternative Society in Kentville and the Wolfville Historical Society. John was a romantic in the true sense of the word. He could see and appreciate the beauty in small things, like a glass of scotch, a walk through the woods in the snow, pheasants at the bird feeder or sitting by a fire. John also had a great love and compassion for all living creatures, most evident in his love for dogs and appreciation of the many birds he could see from the back of the house in Wolfville. He enjoyed reading poetry and seeing poetry in the world around him. He would often find a piece of poetry to speak to situations both happy and sad that were happening in our lives. As adults we came to treasure that part of his personality. John was predeceased by his parents and his sister Elizabeth. John is survived by his wife Margie (née Wyman), daughters Heather Brown, Katherine (Dan) Robinson, Susannë Brown (Pantelis Andreou) and sons Douglas Brown and Derek Smith. Grandchildren Alan Robinson (Callee Luddington), Sarah-Lynn Robinson (Trent MacKenzie), Scott Robinson; Patrick, Ivan and Daphne Andreou. Brother Doug (Pam) Brown. Special thanks to Dr. Ken Rockwood for his guidance to John and us, his family, throughout his illness and to the very caring staff at the Admiral in Dartmouth over the last few weeks. Deepest thanks to all of our extended family and friends who have provided such support to us over the last months. As John’s illness progressed he faced his challenges bravely and it was true to his nature that he allowed us to walk the difficult road beside him as he neared death. In his own words, written this summer, John said “I have been fortunate to have had many wonderful experiences that gave me pleasure both at the time and in the remembering. I continue to be amazed by the humanity and compassion shown me by my daughters and my wife. I do not fear death and have no regrets”. Visitation Monday October 17, 2016 7-9 pm at Ashburn Fairview Golf Club. Memorial Service Tuesday October 18, 2016 at 11 am at Ashburn Fairview Golf Club. Interment to follow in Horton Cemetery, family only. No flowers by request. Donations to L’Arche Homefires, Wolfville. www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/wolfville-larche-homefires-society/